This Week: Notre Dame College wrestling faces some of the top teams in NCAA Division II, this weekend, when they travel to Greenwood, S.C. for the Carolina Clash Duals hosted by Lander University. On Saturday, the Falcons will battle No. 18 Belmont Abbey College, at 9 a.m., UNC Pembroke, at 10:30 a.m., No. 1 Lander University, at 1:30 p.m., University of Mount Olive, at 3 p.m., and Coker University, at 4:30 p.m. The Falcons will then travel to the Lake Erie Open, in Painesville, Ohio, on Dec. 3.
 
Coaches Corner: Jordon Tague is now in his second season leading the Falcons, while Randy DeAngelo and Robert Parland both enter year one at Belmont Abbey and Coker, respectively. Dan Willis enters his fourth year as head coach at Mount Olive and R.C. LaHaye has been at Lander five years. Othello Johnson is in his 13th season at UNC Pembroke.
 
Rankings: In the National Wrestling Coaches Association's Division II preseason top 25 poll, Lander was ranked No. 1 and Belmont Abbey was No. 18. Mount Olive was receiving 11 votes and UNC Pembroke has taken four points. As a team, Lake Erie is seventh in the national poll.
 
In the individual rankings, Lander has eight wrestlers who are in the top 12 of their weight bracket. James Joplin is No. 2 at 125 lbs., Elijah Lusk ranks 6th at 133, Zeth Brower is No. 4 at 149, Gage Bernall ranks sixth at 157, David Hunsberger ranks second at 165, Brandon Matthews is 12th at 174, Anthony Yacovetti is No. 10 at 197 and Juan Edmond-Holmes is No. 2 at 285. Belmont Abbey's John Carayiannas is second at 141 and Max Kiel ranks fifth at 157. Mount Olive's Dallas Wilson ranks 10th at 149, Jack Nicolosi ranks 12th at 157 and Calan Staub is No. 7 at 174. For UNC Pembroke, Logan Seliga is No. 11 at 125 lbs. and Logan Robinson ranks 11th at 133. NDC's heavyweight La'Ron Parks is currently the No. 6 wrestler in his weight class.

Noting the Falcons: Along with ranking sixth at 285 lbs. in the NWCA rankings, La'Ron Parks is also fifth in The Open Mat rankings. In the last time on the mat, at the Findlay Open on Nov. 18, Parks took the top spot in his weight bracket as NDC had four grapplers (Matthew Kaufmann, Melvin Patterson, Marvelous Rutledge and Parks) place in the top 8.
 
The Falcons have only competed in one dual this season, losing 29-22 against Frostburg State, on Nov. 11. Kaufmann (149) and Rutledge (197) both won via tech fall and Joseph King pinned his opponent, at 184. Patterson (165) and Parks (285) both won by decision.